I made the mistake of writing all about myself and my goals with my blog in my first blog post. And nobody really cared… especially in the long run. So this is why I’m sharing my personal strategy and tips on how to write your first blog post.
It doesn’t matter if you’re writing a blog as a creative outlet or journal.
Or if you’re blogging as a business, with the goal of making money through your website.
There are several questions you need to ask yourself about your first blog post topic and how your audience will receive it.
In this post, I’ll share tips with you to help you get through:
- Figuring out what the blog post topic should be
- The anxiety of writing your first blog post (is it good enough?)
- The process of creating a framework for your blog posts, so that writing them becomes a super easy process.
You need to know that many first-time bloggers have the same questions.
Let’s get started so you can craft and publish a kickass first blog post that will wow your readers!
DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links, meaning if you click on a product or service, and decide to purchase it, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. All recommended products and services are based on my positive experience with them. For more information, please read my Disclaimer.
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How To Write Your First Blog Post Like A Pro
Do you want to be seen as an amateur, beginner blogger?
Or are you striving to appear like you kind of know what you’re doing?
If it’s the latter, then you’ve got a positive mindset when it comes to your blog.
Do you know what a pro blogger would do with a first blog post of a new blog they were starting?
They don’t write about themselves and why they are starting a new blog.
This is my top recommendation!
Your first blog shouldn’t be about you and why you started your blog. This is an amateur move. Your About Page, which is static and easily found in a main menu answers this question. Your first blog post will get lost among all the other posts you write… forgotten in a paginated list.
I checked out what some other big brands and bloggers were saying about the first blog post, and their advice left me wanting.
It didn’t make sense.
One of them had an example of a teacher’s first blog post. It redirected me to a static About Me page when I clicked it.
This blogging teacher figured out that a blog post wasn’t the place to share the purpose of her blog and herself.
UGH! Why do some of these “Blogging Tips” sites share DUMB advice?
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Key Reasons Why Your First Blog Post Shouldn’t Be An “Introductory” Post
So why am I saying skip the “Hey world, this is my first blog post” type of post?
Simply put, nobody gives a damn.
If they want to know more about your blog, readers are naturally inclined to look for an “About Me” page.
There’s an art to writing that too, and I have a complete post on how to write an About Me page. You should look it up!
What about the other reasons?
- How will you get eyeballs on it? Promoting a “hey, this is my first blog post” post will not drive traffic back to your site. See my main reason. Nobody gives a damn.
- Promoting on Pinterest will not get traction.
- It’s not something somebody will search out in Google searches.
- You probably don’t have an email subscriber list yet, so no promo there too!
- Your first blog post will be lost in a long list of other blog posts. Nobody is going to go searching for it in your archived blog posts.
- You’ll inevitably write the same content on an About Me page.
So now that we have all of these reasons, let’s tackle the topic of your first blog post.
| RELATED: How To Come Up With Blog Topics – Never Get Stuck In Writer’s Block
What Should You Write About In Your First Blog Post?
You may be looking at first blog post ideas.
If I were to start a new blog today, my first blog post would be about a general problem in my niche topic.
Let me back up first.
I’m hoping you aren’t a general lifestyle blogger, planning to write on more than 3 topics that interest you.
Because that’s a recipe for failure, or at least a recipe for many years of hard work, trying to make a lifestyle blog successful.
I know, because I made that mistake in the past as well.
So here’s what I recommend you do when writing your first blog post:
- Confirm your key topics and blog categories
- Choose one of your categories
- Write down a short list of 3 to 5 big topics for your chosen category. Consider the big burning questions that your readers may have on each topic.
- Choose one of the questions your readers have, and write the answer to it.
For example, the most common sense topic for my first blog post for a blogging tips blog would be “How To Start A Blog”.
I would choose a broad topic from which more specific blog posts can be created.
Starting off with a blog post like this helps you develop your blog content calendar very easily.
Consider all of the sub-topics that you can write about to answer additional questions your readers will have.
Banish Anxiety About Writing The Perfect Blog Post
Your first blog post doesn’t have to be perfect!
It may have spelling and grammar errors. Or an image that’s cropped weirdly.
Or you’ll have written a massive paragraph with five to six sentences that’s hard to read.
The good news is that you can go back to edit and tweak your first blog post, over and over again.
I have!
My first blog post has been updated to be consistent with my blog post format and to include updated content, keywords and fresh, SEO-optimized images.
Updating old blog posts will be a process that you’ll undertake to keep your blog traffic growing.
Banish your anxiety and avoid falling into the trap of feeling that it has to be perfect.
What I’m going to share in a moment is a little cheat sheet for making your first blog post look and flow well.
But first, let’s talk SEO.
Familiarize Yourself With SEO
What is SEO?
It’s Search Engine Optimization, and it’s a process in which you make your blog content understandable and indexable to Google and other search engines.
There are several facets to SEO: technical, on-page and off-page.
The easiest place to start is with on-page SEO, which you’ll do before you hit publish on your first post.
I won’t go into all the details here, as I’ve written a full blog post on key on-page SEO tips. Read it as it will help you understand things better.
Essentially, with your first post, I’m recommending that you include a low-competition keyword – a “long tail keyword” that’s a phrase 3 to 6 words long (e.g. “how to start a blog as a beginner”).
This keyword will be in:
- The title (headline)
- At the beginning of your post
- In a header
- And in your alt-text of an image.
Doing this is a first step to helping Google understand your content and index it so that it shows up in searches in a few weeks or a few months (it can take time for Google to index your site).
PRO TIP: Start learning about SEO as soon as you can! Implementing SEO best practices will greatly speed up your blog traffic and growth. It’s getting harder to quickly boost your blog traffic with SEO, but it’s still doable. Make sure you’re building awareness of your position as a niche expert through personal branding.
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8 Elements Of A Blog Post: First Blog Post Template
Before you begin writing your blog post, create a blog post outline.
The 8 key elements of a simple blog post structure include:
- A captivating headline (also called title)
- Relevant and attractive feature image (horizontal for Facebook and Twitter posts)
- A blog post introduction that addresses the problem and provides context
- Headers (subheaders) that organize the content throughout
- The body of the post where you share tips to solve the problem
- Visuals that enhance or relate to the content you’re sharing
- Internal links (link up to your other related blog posts when you publish them
- An ending to your blog post that includes an engaging call to action
Here’s a format of what this may look like (or you can take a look at what I did with this blog post itself!).
Let’s not forget on-page SEO.
You’ll make sure the SEO title (the one that appears in search results in Google, and other search engines), permalink (slug) in the URL and meta description are optimized.
If you’re using an SEO plugin such as Rank Math (free version is fine), you’ll also have the option to use Schema Markup.
This lets you tell search engines that your post is an article, not a product page or some other page.
To make it easier for you, I’ve created a “First Blog Post Template” Workbook.
Sign up to get it, download it and print it out to help you organize your thoughts. It includes a handy first blog post checklist.
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Create A Format That Works For Your Niche
For your first blog post, I recommend sticking to a simple blog post format: feature image, introduction, body and conclusion.
There are many different types of blog posts you can write – from listicles to round-up posts and more.
But for now, let’s keep it easy, shall we?
If you’re a blogger with a niche in the lifestyle category (food, fashion, parenting, wellness, etc.) you’ll probably also want to add a gorgeous Pinterest pin image.
Pinterest it one of the top sources of traffic for lifestyle-based blogs.
Your pin image should be easily pinnable. Use the Tasty Pins plugin to optimize the descriptions with Pinterest keywords and use a “Pin It” button.
I use it to ensure that when somebody pins my Pinterest image it shows up correctly with the right Pinterest description.
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Create A “Flow”
It doesn’t matter what kind of blog post I have – whether it’s a simple one like this with tips or a listicle, I have a “flow” to my posts.
What this means is that I have a structure where I add:
- A few paragraphs in the introduction
- A Table of Contents (I recommend the LuckyWP Table of Contents plugin)
- I add my call to action to bookmark my first Pinterest pin image
- Next comes a Pinterest pin image
- My first H2 header, which includes my main keyword
- The body of my post organized with headings
- My lead magnet is added near the end along with my summary
- I add a question
- A separator is added to show the “end” of my blog post.
- I have one last call to action to pin my second Pinterest pin, if the reader has loved my post.
Your own first blog post template will be one that you will eventually update and modify as you see your blog grow.
This is just a start!
Discover how to Create A Blogging Schedule That Helps Grow Your Blog Faster
Blogging Tools That Will Help You Craft Your Awesome First Post
Before we wrap this up, I’ll share with you a few blogging tools that I use to make my blog posts professional in quality:
- Grammarly: It helps me ensure my spelling, grammar and word choice are the best they can be. It helps me be as error-free as possible.
- Tasty Pins: To optimize my Pinterest pins so that the description is the one I’ve crafted when somebody pins the image to their Pinterest board. Also the “Pin It” button.
- Social Warfare: The pro version of this social sharing plugin makes sharing my blog posts functional and easy.
- PixiStock: Stock photos for my site, unless I can take my own (e.g. product reviews)
- Styled Stock Society: Another quality stock photo site that I use often.
Evergreen And Seasonal Blog Post Ideas To Spark Your Blog Writing
To make it easier to figure out what to write, I’m sharing a list of blog posts you’ll find on this site that include so many blog post ideas.
There’s no reason to say you don’t know what to write about!
Evergreen Blog Post Topics
- Over 100 Trending and Popular Lifestyle Blog Post Topics
- 300+ Mom Blog Post Ideas
- 60+ Inspirational Travel Blog Post Ideas
- 100+ Fantastic Food Blog Topics
- 50+ Blog Post Ideas For Midlife Bloggers
Seasonal Blog Post Topics
- 100+ Fabulous Winter blog post topics
- 31 Wintery ideas for December blog content
- 30 Inspiring January blog topics for the new year
- 28+ Fun February blog post ideas
- 31 Inspirational March blog post ideas
- 100+ Sensational Spring blog topics
- 30 Fresh April blog post topics
- 31 Popular blog post ideas for May
- 100+ Summer Blog Post Topics
- 30 Fun June blog post ideas
- 31 July blog topics
- 31 Popular blog ideas for August
- 30 Sensational September blog topics
- 120+ Fall blog topics
- 31 Fun and festive October blog post ideas
- 30 Popular November blog topics
- 31 Cool December blog post ideas
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Tips For Writing Your First Blog Post: Keep It Easy But Strategic
How to write your first blog post? By making sure you keep the structure of your first blog post simple – a headline title, introduction, body and conclusion. Choose a blog post topic that’s broad and answers a common, burning question your readers have.
Remember to do your on-page search engine optimization with keywords!
And finally, be easy on yourself. The most important thing is to get your first post published.
The second one will be easier to write, as will the third.
Finally, find out how many blog posts you need before you finally launch your blog.
Check out these helpful posts for writing your first blog post!
- How To Write Blog Post Titles That Get Clicks
- What is Cornerstone Content And Why Do You Need It?
- Understanding Categories And Tags
QUESTION: What is your first blog post going to be about? I’d love to know the topic!
Like this post? Share it on Pinterest – thanks!
Dear Margaret, I just published my memoir: “My Life in Technology”, I was there in the beginning. It is a four-hundred-and-fifty-page book spanning seventy years of my life. I am in the process of creating my WordPress website. It will have five or six pages describing my book with a photo gallery, a video page and so on. It will have a Blog Page. So, my question to you is why can’t I use the Blog Page to talk about the book and my various experiences during my career? Your comments please.
Enjoyed reading about how to get started writing my first blog post.
Thanks. Bob Reese
Hello Bob!
There is a very smart way to do this with a book. In this case, take a tip or learning that you share in your book. For example, “the moral of the story”, or here’s how I solved this, and use your story from the book to elaborate on it. For example, if I had a book on my blogging journey, I would write something like “How To Write A First Blog Post Like A Pro”. My post would be all about how I made a big mistake with my first post. I would paint the picture using excerpts from my book that refer to that mistake. At the end of that post, I would have a call to action that says something like, “Want to read more? Get the book at ….” and include the link to where the book can be purchased. Hope this helps!
This post was truly worthwhile to read. I wanted to say thank you for the key points you have pointed out as they are enlightening.
You’re welcome – what was your first blog post about?
when i first started writing blog posts i wrote about fermented pizza dough, it still is one of my most popular posts.
My first post was “Who this blog is for and why.” Which wasn’t awful in the sense that I did end up nailing down my target audience and using some keywords. It wasn’t great in the sense that no one was searching for that headline lol…
This is a really insightful post with so many helpful tips! My first blog post was a book review. Definitely not my best post, thankfully I’ve improved since then!
I think I made the beginner mistake of introducing myself in the first post. If you are new to blogging, Margaret has great tips on this page and on the blog!
Aww, Lucie! Thank you. I know you’ve since then started publishing some really amazing blog posts!
Great and helpful tips for beginning bloggers. My first post was how to create the perfect master bedroom on a budget.
Oohh – that’s a hot topic! Great blog post idea.
I recently updated the very first blog post I ever wrote on how to make homemade vanilla extract. It was pretty cringe-worthy, but by implementing some of your tips, it’s now one of my highest-ranking posts and continues to bring in new subscribers! Including a Pinterest pin image in all my posts and really learning and focusing on SEO have been game changers for me! Thank you for all you do to help me along in my blogging journey!
Oh Heather – this warms my heart. I’m so glad to hear my tips are helping you with these wins! 🙂
I, too, wrote about myself, however I did include it under grandparenting which made a little bit of sense…maybe? 🤣 I have just been updating some of my old posts and I sure do wish I would have found all of your helpful tips back then. You always have such detailed and great posts on blogging! Thanks for your help!
Makes sense! You can write on a topic and include many anecdotes that speak to your tips and points. The updates never end. I’m updating my content too!
These are great, helpful tips for beginning bloggers. My first blog post was “40 Things I Learned When I Turned 40”, which seemed like a good place to kick off my blog. Recently, I looked back and realized that this list has served as a great source of inspiration for content throughout my blog. I am going to revisit though here soon and double check following your advice. I am sure there is much room for improvement. Thank you for the knowledge and guidance you have provided.
What a fun idea–posing a quesiton for the comments. Our first blog post was a hiking guide.
It’s a great way to inspire comments! Love that idea of a hiking guide – makes so much sense!